Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
3 30 2026
Come to me all who are burdened and heavily laden. – A personal testimony
My wife Dyan just returned from an emergency 10 day hospital stay with a steroid adrenal insufficiency, that could have been fatal. Dyan has struggled for 18 months with extreme pain that couldn’t be identified between her back and 2 hip surgeries, each requiring 6 weeks of complete non-weight-bearing recovery and then months of rehab. She had what they thought was an adrenal shutdown 6 months ago…easily a fatal situation. “But God” kept her… but she remained in bed, even unable to attend church… The surgery physician and endocrinologist thought it was now ok to try another steroid shot to finally determine if it was the nerves in the hip or her back. The Doctor decided to do ½ strength for this procedure. (We’re certain God stayed his hand) She had 4 days of complete relief from pain, which finally identified that it was her hip. But it threw her into a potentially fatal Adrenal Crisis again,
with her throat passageways closing off.
We rushed her to the hospital.
They admitted her right away and started with a barrage of tests and more steroids to combat the inability of her adrenal glands to produce cortisol. We discovered that when the body cannot produce it naturally, even a cold, the flu, or any surgery could kill you without a specific protocol.
We have stood on our faith, believing for a different outcome, a different prognosis. “By faith we are healed”. And there were 100’s of people praying for a positive outcome, BUT… that is not what we received. They ran an ACTH test, and she had ZERO positive results, confirming our worst nightmare. The Doctor said, “There is no ‘go-around’ for you because your case is extreme for the rest of your life…Your results were ZERO”…Zero! You can NEVER run out of your hydrocortisone. He said, if you get a cold or flu, go immediately to the Emergency Room. No Doctor Googling at home. Adrenal Insufficiency.
They also uncovered that with all the drugs she’s been given, that she was on the edge of a full-blown bleeding ulcer. (But they caught it in time)
It’s hard to stay strong when you see your most loving lady suffer with being practically bedridden, with insomnia, stomach pain, rashes, lack of strength, acid reflux, and so you pray and encourage, and when you’ve done all the rest, you continue to stand on God’s word. The news came down, and I went into the quiet, stoic mode of shock and disbelief that Dyan will wear a bracelet the rest of her life to let responders know that she will require critical attention immediately. I wanted to cry and fought to hold them back, isn’t that what husbands are supposed to do? As she explained the details to our two daughters and me. I am fighting those emotions now as I write this.
I am still searching for some way out of this because I am a fixer. There is always a way around…or to improve it somehow, someway. As I express my disappointment to my Father. Two years, Lord, and still…and now this? I know I am not alone in asking those questions. Why her? … How many times have I written about the deep response to pain, coming from a place of confusion and anguish?
How many times have I pointed others to His Word!
The final stop, for comfort, perspective, and promise, so we might hold our faith AND remain strong!
I know more than a few of you are under your own load of health disappointments and challenges. BUT. And I do mean… BUT…Scripture promises that after a little while of suffering, the God of all grace will “himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10) God promises that He is a present help in trouble and will not leave us (Psalm 46:1, Isaiah 43:2). He is described as the “rock” that does not break under pressure (Deuteronomy 32:3-4).
I would share with you today that it is not a sin to cry out honestly to God, as David did in the Psalms, but we’re encouraged to bring that anguish to Him in prayer rather than turning away from Him. And to Rely on His Strength, Not Your Own: When we are weak, only then are we strong in God’s strength (1 Cor 12:10). Ultimately, the Bible invites us to trust God’s character when they cannot trace His hand, believing that He is good, loving, and in control
Let me share with you a text she wrote me in the middle of the night…in the middle of everything, as she lay waiting for the sun to shine again
“Woke up again with 3 am night sweats, (nurse needs to change my gown ) 6 am – IV Steroid. Now I’m having acid reflux again. (I’m on a lot of acid reflux meds, and after taking those biopsies, use of steroids, stress of surgeries, along with strong Ibuprofens, it’s resulting in my stomach issue, which was discovered just before it turned into a chronic ulcer)
I choose to look at God’s plan and not let Satan feel he just dropped a bill of goods in my lap.
I think I’ll start shopping for a very pretty, elegant medical ID bracelet, which will be with me always to save my life whenever needed.
Let’s review the medical info:
Yes, I received an adrenal insufficiency (AI) diagnosis But shouldn’t it be considered a life-saving “blessing” compared to not knowing, as it provides a name for debilitating symptoms and prevents fatal, untreated adrenal crises? Yes, it necessitates a complex, lifelong management plan; But the alternative is high-risk, potentially leading to severe illness or death.
Why this Diagnosis is a Blessing to Me.
• Life-Saving Treatment: Knowing you have it allows you to take hormone replacement therapy.
• Crisis Prevention: Untreated AI can lead to an adrenal crisis, caused by extreme cortisol deficiency. This diagnosis empowers me to recognize triggers (illness, stress) and manage them.
• Validation of Symptoms: It explains my long-term suffering from fatigue, weight loss, salt cravings, and pain, offering a path to managing these symptoms.
• Preparedness: I wear a medical alert and keep emergency, injectable medication, ensuring safety.
Why “Not Knowing” is Dangerous
• Risk of Death: Without diagnosis, a simple infection or accident can trigger an adrenal crisis, which is potentially fatal.
• Chronic Decline: One may suffer from worsening, unexplained symptoms without any understanding. While living with a chronic, rare illness is challenging isn’t it better than facing a potentially fatal crisis without knowing the cause. (Another blessing).
I’ve been in pain for well over a year, but now we know it’s my hip. (What a blessing!)
I finally have all the MRI’s needed for a possible hip replacement.
If my doctor had not done this diagnostic steroid injection to CONFIRM that my pain is all coming from the hip, I might have gone into surgery and not be here today. Finally, the nurses and staff at Advent Health WC were blessings beyond measure and I loved the prayer at 8am over the loudspeakers every morning.” (end of quote)
I love this woman…The first thing that comes to her mind is Philippians 4:8, which instructs believers to curate their “thought lives” by focusing on whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, and lovely. Dyan rushed to the high ground and started looking for the blessings in the middle of her puddle. But when you cry out, “Why me, Lord?” you are in holy company because many biblical figures—from Job to David asked why suffering was allowed. Even Jesus, asked, “to let this cup pass from me.”
God’s Direct Answer: “Trust Me… Trust My Character”
When Job demanded an explanation for his loss of his whole family, God didn’t give him a list of reasons. Instead, He reminded Job of His own sovereignty and wisdom.
- “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
The “why” became less important once he had a personal encounter with God. He concluded, “I had heard of you… but now my eye sees you” (Job 42:5).
Dyan’s response was all about. “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5) and
“When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned” (Isaiah 43:2)
Our current troubles are “light and momentary” compared to the eternal weight of glory they are preparing for us (2 Corinthians 4:17).
And when Paul begged for relief, God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
In closing, let me encourage each of you who are bearing a heavy weight.
You were never designed to carry it alone.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you… for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30). A yoke was designed for two; Jesus isn’t giving you more work, He is offering to pull the weight with you.
Please hold onto that truth. God’s help is not just for the end of the trial,
but for the “middle” of every day.
“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22). This is a “daily” promise—God is the Savior who “daily bears our burdens” (Psalm 68:19).
And lastly, His word encourages us to look past the current weight to the eternal purpose it serves.
- Your trial is not wasted; it is producing an “eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17). Because when your own strength fails, it becomes the perfect platform for God’s power.
- Finally: You are not being broken; you are being built. Like a shepherd carrying a lamb, God promises to carry you even into your old age and “gray hairs” (Isaiah 46:4).
Can I share a short touching story? One of the night nurses at Advent came in the morning of her discharge with a Willow Tree Angel as a gift. We wanted you to have this because you have been such an angel to the nurses here and to me. Dyan was in tears; she collects Willow Tree figures. Even in her crisis, she remained a light and an angel to those around her.
“Lord, I surrender my life to you. I am heavy-laden and tired of carrying this weight alone. Today, I take up your yoke instead of my own. I surrender my ‘why’ and my ‘how’ to You. Please pull this weight with me and give my soul the rest You promised.”
Matthew 11:28-30
Thank you for your prayers…we still covet them.
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I Exalt Thee / Oh Lord You’re Beautiful
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